FIW-PB 66 China’s Belt and Road Initiative revisited

The Belt and Road initiative (BRI), introduced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is an economic and geopolitical mega-project that has become a centrepiece of China’s foreign and economic policy. The original goal was to better connect the Asian economies with Europe. However, over time the BRI has changed fundamentally. This Policy Brief will provide an overview of these changes, starting with a rapid extension of the BRI to Africa and Latin America, followed by a certain slowing down of China’s engagement. After the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant change of the pattern of projects can be observed, with a pivot away from large-scale infrastructure projects, a certain ‘multilateralisation’ of projects, and a focus on investments in ‘green energy’ and ‘green technologies’, e.g. batteries. However, securing critical minerals, strategically important transport infrastructure for trade and China’s position in the ‘Global South’ remain important. Therefore, some geopolitical aspects and challenges for Europe and the U.S. as well as possible answers (such as Global Gateway and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment, PGII) are discussed. We will conclude with some remarks on policy options for Europe respectively European and, in particular, Austrian companies.